Forage plant species of the European Mediterranean

Following is a list of wild flora species, or horta, which are traditionally collected and eaten throughout Greece and the European Mediterranean, and beyond. I will continue to update this list and provide links to species pages with more extensive information. 

The Mediterranean basin has a long and multifaceted cultural history and harbors a high biodiversity. Despite the increasing attention and studies on the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, no studies thus far have incorporated data related to the consumption of the many species of wild greens that make up such an important part of traditional diets throughout Greece, S. Spain and S. Italy.  Leoniti et. al argues that the "culinary use of wild gathered weedy greens evolved together with the neolithization process, since this offered the necessary ecological niches for them to thrive, thereby enriching and securing the diets of European agriculturalists."

FLORA

ALLIACEAE

Allium neapolitanum

AMARANTHACEAE

Amaranthus blitum

Salicornia europea

APIACEAE

Caucalis (bur chervil, kafkalithra)

Foeniculum vulgare (marathon, wild fennel   

Tordylium apium (Mediterranean hartwort) kafkalida

Scandix pectin veneris (shepherd’s needles, myroni)

ASPARAGACEAE

Muscari comosum

Asparagus officinalis

Asparagus acutifolius

Asparagus stipularis

ASTERACEAE

Carduus argentatus ssp. acicularis

Chichorium intybus – radiki

Taraxacum officinale - radiki, Dandelion

Helminthotheca echioides

Lactuca scariola - milk thistle, prickly lettuce, petromaroulo

Scolymus

Sonchus oleraceus - sowthistle, zohos

Tragopogon (yellow salsify, tragopogon)

Urospermum picroides (agriozohos)

Silybum marianum

BORAGINACEAE

Borage (boratzi)

BRASSICACEAE

Capsella bursa-pastoris

Eruca sativa

Sinapsis alba (white mustard, sinapi)

Lepidium sativum (kardamo)

Hirschfeldia incana (mustard greens, vrouves)

CACTACEAE

Opunitia ficus-indica

CAPPARACEAE

Capparis spinosa

COMPOSITAE

Picridium vulgare – pikralida, galatsida

DIOSCOREACEAE

Tamus communis (Avronies, Black bryony) 

GERANIACEAE

Erodium cicutarium (redstem stork’s bill, kalogeros

LAMIACEAE

Salvia officinalis

Tymus vulgaris

Origanum vulgare

LILIACEAE

Ornithogalum umbellatum (grass lily, star of Bethlehem)

MALVACEAE

Malva sylvestris (blue mallow)

MYRTACEAE

Myrtus communis

OXALIDACEAE

Oxalis pes-caprae

POLYGONACEAE

Rumex obtusifolius (lapatho) 

PORTULACACEAE

Portulaca oleracea

RESEDACEAE

Reseda alba (rezda, white upright mignonette)

ROSACEAE

Rubus fruticosus

SOLANACEAE

Solanum nigrum (styfno)

Scolymus (golden thistle, askolymbrus)

URTICACEAE

Urtica dioca – tsouknida

VITACEAE

Vitis vinifera

FUNGI

Lactarius delisiosus

Lycoperdon perlatum

Cantharellus cibarius

Centaurea calcitrapa ssp. angusticeps, Centaurea hyalolepis, Ceratonia siliqua, Cichorium intybus, Crataegus azarolus, Crataegus monogyna, Crithmum maritimum, Cynara cardunculus, Cynara cornigera, Cynara scolymus, Echinops spinosissimus, Eruca sativa, Eryngium creticum, Eryngium glomeratum, Ficus carica, Foeniculum vulgare, Gundelia turnefortii, Laurus nobilis, Limonium sinuatum, Malva parviflora, Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata, Muscari comosum, Myrtus communis, Nasturtium officinale, Notobasis syriaca, Onopordum bracteatum, Onopordum cyprium, Origanum dubium, Origanum majorana var. tenuifolium, Portulaca oleracea, Pistacia lentiscus, Pyrus syriaca, Rosmarinus officinalis, Scolymus hispanicus, Scolymus maculatus,  Silene vulgaris, Silybum marianum, Sinapis alba, Sinapis arvensis, Sonchus oleraceus, Taraxacum cyprium, Taraxacum hellenicum, Thymus capitatus,  Ziziphus lotus

Cercidium (Parkinsonia) microphyllum - Palo Verde, Dipua

Palo Verde grow as a large bush or small to medium size tree. It has smooth, greenish photosynthetic bark. There are numerous species of Cercidium (sonorae, praecox, peninsulare), which can are referred to variously as Palo Verde, Palo Estribo, and Dipua. There is some confusion amongst the layperson as to what, exactly, this differentiation is. Thus, to such individuals, all Cercidium species are thought to be "Palo Verde". This, of course, is not the case. The below photos are of Cercidium microphyllum, which can be distinguished from other Cercidium species by the lack of nodal thorns. Instead of nodal thorn thorns the tree has closely crowded spiny branchlet tips in broom-like arrangements. 

Natives of the area used to (and probably still do to an extent) shell, toast and grind the seeds to store for winter sustenance. Reportedly, unless the seeds are fully ripe when harvested, dried and processed, they can cause severe diarrhea. The upper branches have been known to be used as a forage for mules, horses and burros (donkeys).